1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to self-cooling containers of the type that are used for holding beverages such as soft drinks, fruit juices, beer and the like and more specifically to such self-cooling containers with improved thermodynamic efficiency utilizing a beverage flow path that is surrounded by a combination of materials in endothermic reaction.
2. Prior Art
The most relevant prior art patent known of by the applicants herein is U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,343 to Rudick et al. This patent discloses a number of alternative embodiments of self-cooling containers wherein the principal features appears to be a directing means for directing the flow of a portion of the beverage in the container in contact with the cooling chamber to cool predominantly the next to be consumed portion of the beverage. Various embodiments shown in that patent differ one to the next, principally in the shape and location of such directing means and of the cooling chamber and the endothermic contents thereof. However, in all of the embodiments disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,343, the directing means causes the beverage to be cooled by flowing between the directing means and the endothermic chemical combination so that the beverage effectively flows only along one surface of the cooling chamber resulting in less than optimum heat transfer from the beverage to the cooling chamber. As a result, the various alternate embodiments shown in the aforementioned prior art patent are not likely to cool to the extent that is desireable and may additionally require some form of insulation along the surface of the container in order to attain even a minimum degree of cooling sufficient to satisfy the user.
Other known U.S. Patents of some relevance include:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,478 to Alonso PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,872 to Rist PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,669,273 to Fischer et al PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,678 to Rudick et al